Katherine Delaney EDC102H Personal Expertise Statement Dictionary.com defines an expert as “a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field.” To me, an expert is someone who has continually dedicated large amounts of time to a specific hobby, interest, etc. Expertise comes in all forms. One may be an expert in academics, another in sports, or another in music. Despite the wide variety of subjects one can master, expertise is obtained through hard work, effort, and dedication. Given this,I consider myself an expert in working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Considering that time is a huge factor in becoming an expert in a particular field, one may wonder how I have had enough time to become an "expert" in this area since I am still young. However, I have had a significant amount of experience with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In total, I have spent about five hundred hours working with disabled students. During my freshman year of high school, I began working with them through an organization known as Best Buddies. Throughout the next four years, I went to the students’ classroom every day to help them with their work, to help them move around and get exercise, and to give them whatever other assistance they needed. The more time I spent with them, the more knowledgeable I became. Before I started working with the students, I was ignorant. I was scared of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, because they were much different than I was. Fortunately, after I stepped out of my comfort zone and decided to work with these individuals, I realized that I had missed out for so long on something that brings me such joy.
In addition to time, patience is also a significant factor in becoming an expert in a specific field. No matter what area one is focused on, there will be adversity to face along the way. I was faced with a challenge of working with three nonverbal students with limited mobility. At first, I was nervous that I would not be able to handle the situation. However, I persevered and accepted the challenge. In the end, working with those three students was the most rewarding experience I have ever had. I developed a huge amount of patience and was also humbled by the experience. I realized how fortunate I was to live a life free of handicaps.
There is one memory in particular that always manages to bring a smile to my face and will always stick with me. One of the nonverbal students, Gary, was playing with a ball. He started off by rolling it and bouncing it on his desk. Then, the ball rolled off the edge of his desk, so I bent down, picked it up, and placed it back in his hands. He giggled, but I did not think anything of it. Next thing I knew, Gary was throwing the ball on the floor to tease me. I would hand the ball back to him on his right side, and he would throw it to the left; or I would place it on his left side, and he would throw it to the right. He then proceeded to break out in hysteric laughter. At that moment, I had an epiphany. I knew that working with children like Gary was something I wanted to continue.
Knowledge is another factor in being an expert. In the beginning of one’s journey to becoming an expert, it is normal for one to be only partially educated in the subject area. Though as time progresses, one will learn things that are necessary in the field. After becoming knowledgeable in the subject area, the expert has the opportunity to share what they have learned with others, which is quite rewarding. For example, while I was a senior and Vice President of Best Buddies, I was able to pass on knowledge to younger members as well as the entire student body that I had acquired throughout my four years of working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was fulfilling to be able to inform others about something that I was educated in and enthusiastic about. In conclusion, one may not realize the potential he/she has to be an expert in something until they are given an unexpected opportunity. If I had never become involved in Best Buddies or worked with the three nonverbal students, I would have never realized that working with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities was something that I was skilled in. I developed patience, which has helped me and will continue to help me in other aspects of life. It is even possible that one day I will become an expert in something even more extraordinary.
EDC102H
Personal Expertise Statement
Dictionary.com defines an expert as “a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field.” To me, an expert is someone who has continually dedicated large amounts of time to a specific hobby, interest, etc. Expertise comes in all forms. One may be an expert in academics, another in sports, or another in music. Despite the wide variety of subjects one can master, expertise is obtained through hard work, effort, and dedication. Given this,I consider myself an expert in working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Considering that time is a huge factor in becoming an expert in a particular field, one may wonder how I have had enough time to become an "expert" in this area since I am still young. However, I have had a significant amount of experience with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In total, I have spent about five hundred hours working with disabled students. During my freshman year of high school, I began working with them through an organization known as Best Buddies. Throughout the next four years, I went to the students’ classroom every day to help them with their work, to help them move around and get exercise, and to give them whatever other assistance they needed. The more time I spent with them, the more knowledgeable I became. Before I started working with the students, I was ignorant. I was scared of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, because they were much different than I was. Fortunately, after I stepped out of my comfort zone and decided to work with these individuals, I realized that I had missed out for so long on something that brings me such joy.
In addition to time, patience is also a significant factor in becoming an expert in a specific field. No matter what area one is focused on, there will be adversity to face along the way. I was faced with a challenge of working with three nonverbal students with limited mobility. At first, I was nervous that I would not be able to handle the situation. However, I persevered and accepted the challenge. In the end, working with those three students was the most rewarding experience I have ever had. I developed a huge amount of patience and was also humbled by the experience. I realized how fortunate I was to live a life free of handicaps.
There is one memory in particular that always manages to bring a smile to my face and will always stick with me. One of the nonverbal students, Gary, was playing with a ball. He started off by rolling it and bouncing it on his desk. Then, the ball rolled off the edge of his desk, so I bent down, picked it up, and placed it back in his hands. He giggled, but I did not think anything of it. Next thing I knew, Gary was throwing the ball on the floor to tease me. I would hand the ball back to him on his right side, and he would throw it to the left; or I would place it on his left side, and he would throw it to the right. He then proceeded to break out in hysteric laughter. At that moment, I had an epiphany. I knew that working with children like Gary was something I wanted to continue.
Knowledge is another factor in being an expert. In the beginning of one’s journey to becoming an expert, it is normal for one to be only partially educated in the subject area. Though as time progresses, one will learn things that are necessary in the field. After becoming knowledgeable in the subject area, the expert has the opportunity to share what they have learned with others, which is quite rewarding. For example, while I was a senior and Vice President of Best Buddies, I was able to pass on knowledge to younger members as well as the entire student body that I had acquired throughout my four years of working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was fulfilling to be able to inform others about something that I was educated in and enthusiastic about.
In conclusion, one may not realize the potential he/she has to be an expert in something until they are given an unexpected opportunity. If I had never become involved in Best Buddies or worked with the three nonverbal students, I would have never realized that working with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities was something that I was skilled in. I developed patience, which has helped me and will continue to help me in other aspects of life. It is even possible that one day I will become an expert in something even more extraordinary.